The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-11-16
A FLOWER FARM.
RAISING FLOWERS FOR PER-
FUMES ON A LARGE SCALE.
A Great Industry in Southern France
Description of an Extensive
Farm-How the Perfumes
are Extracted There.


cent report upon flower farming In
southern France, quotes the case OF a
plantation at Seillans, in the Depart
ment of the Var. This farm is about
twenty-three acres in extent, and is sit,
uated in the southern slope Of the hills
about 1000 feet above the level OF the
Mediterranean, and at distance OF
twenty miles from the coast. The cal
careous soil was originally naturally poor
and thin, and the olive trees, which had
occupied the ground for a century or
more prior to 1881, yielded but scanty
and unsatisfactory returns. The slope
of the surface was 80 steep that the
waters of spring which flows from the
rocks above the tract could be but i'm
perfectly utilized for irrigation, and the
land was regarded as practically worth.
less. In 1881 the proprietor caused the
olive trees to be removed and the land
prepared for flower culture. The ground
was first dug up to depth of four feet,
the larger stones removed and built into
sustaining walls for the terraces, into
which the surface was divided, and lev,
elled. Along the upper margin OF each
terrace a shallow ditch WAS cut, connect
ing with transverse channels, which
supply the spring water for irrigation.
The abrubtness of the slope will be In.
dicated by the fact that on the tract OF
eighteen acres the terrace walls re-
quired to produce series of level OF
gently sloping surfaces are over 1900
yards in length. Thus ,terraced, the
tract yielded about seventeen acres OF
prepared ground for planting. In the
autumn of 1881, $4,000 tufts OF violets
and 14O, 900 roots of the white jasmine
were planted. The following spring the
remainder of the ground was planted
with roses, pelargoniums, tuberoses,
and ionquiIs, and a laboratory erected
for the manufacture of the perfumes.
The position proved to have been we'll
chosen, as the flowers grew vigorously
and we'll; and in 1885, the fourth year
after planting, this farm, which had pre-
viously yielded rental OF e23 q year,
produced perfumes valued at G8, $50,
giving a net profit of e1,553. This is
sufficient to illustrate how lucrative
flower farming may become in favorable
districts and under good management.
From observations in Seillans and in
the neighborhood of Grasse, where per
fume flower growing is the leading in
dustry, Consul Mason says that the es-
sential conditions appear to be an alti-
tude of from 500 to 1900 feet. Flowers
grown on such elevated positions are
said to be richer in perfume than sim
liar varieties which bloom in valleys and
lowlands; soil rich in calcareous ele.
ments; situation sheltered from cold
northern winds and not subject to the
white frosts which in spring and
autumn affect the damp lowlands.
In countries like Southern France,
where the rainfall is always scanty,
and often wanting from May to Decem-
Der, irrigation is essential to the culture
of the flowers, as well as of every other
crop.
One essential principle in perfume
culture is that all fancy and improved
varieties of flowers are discarded, and
the natural, simple, old-fashioned kinds
are exclusively grown. The roses on
the slopes of Seillans are the common
pink ones, and the single white violet
is preferred to oil the larger, artificially
developed varieties. Only the white
Jasmine is used, the yellow and less
fragrant varieties appearing to be either
discarded or unknown. Jasmine plants
are set in rows about ten inches apart,
and are closely pruned; roses are
grown on the lower terraces and are also
cut low, and the ground between the
plants heavily manured. After the
roses have been gathered the stem is cut
to within few inches of the ground
to preserve for the next season the en-
tire vigor of the plant.
During the harvest season traders OF
middle men go through the country
every day with wagons, collecting flow
ers from the farms, for which they pay
prices varying according to the extent
of the crop and the demands OF the
market; their loads are hurried to the
nearest manufacturer, and delivered
while the flowers are still fresh and
crisp. The flowers ale gathered in the
morning, as soon as possible after the
dews of the night have disappeared.
The manufacture of perfumes includes
the making of pomades and oils by the
process of absorption, and of essences
and essential oils by distillation. Every
complete establishment is provided with
apparatus for all these processes. Po-
mades are the commercial vehicles fol
absorbing and transporting the per,
fumes of the jonquil, tuberose, jasmine,
and other species of flowers. A square
frame or chassis of white wood, about &c
inches by 30 inches in size, is set with a
pane of strong plate glass. On either
side of the glass is set thin even layer
of grease-two parts lard to one of tai
low-which has been purified and re-
fined by previous boiling and straining
thus prepared, the frames are piled up
in ranks of six or seven feet high to
await the season of each special flower.
When the blossoms arrive, the petals
are picked from the stems and laid sc
as to cover the grease in each frame;
These being again piled 30 as to rest
upon their wooden edges, which fl
closely together, there is formed .
species of tight chambers: the floors and
ceilings of which are Of grease exposed
to the perfume of the flower leaves with
in; the grease absorbs the perfume, the
spent flowers are removed daily, and
fresh ones supplied, and this process
goes on from two to four or five months
according to the desired strength OF the
pomade, which, when sufficiently charged
with perfume, is taken from the Lass
with q wide, thin spatula, and packed
in tin cans or stagnons, for export. By
these methods the delicate odors o.
flowers are extracted and retained fol
transport to distant markets, where thu